Recordings.

Sting Brand New Day (A&M) Gliding alongside...

October 10, 1999|By Greg Kot.

Sting

Brand New Day (A&M)

Gliding alongside Stevie Wonder's tootling harmonica (the title track), doing the bossa nova ("Big Lie Small World"), playing the after-hours jazz head ("Perfect Love . . . Gone Wrong") or the country hayseed ("Fill Her Up"), Sting barely breaks a sweat in this elegant snooze of a record. With the exception of "Desert Rose," a groove punctuated by the androgynous vocals of Algerian singer Cheb Mami, "Brand New Day" sounds like the work of an artist calibrating his "adult-contemporary" appeal, full of pretty wallpaper sounds and pleasant melodies. Talk about coasting on your reputation.